This I forgot to put in my last post from Norway, but I did laundry at John’s place.  I didn’t realize that there wasn’t a drier, so I’d left it in the washer overnight, thinking it was a washer and dryer.  However there was a problem with the washer, and it leaked all of the water onto the floor.  There was about a quarter inch of water on the floor, on the second floor of the apartment, when John and I discovered it.  There was a drain, which should have collected the water, but it was raised about a half inch above the floor, and was unable to take in any water without us squiji-ing the water up to it.  I dried my clothes on a clothes rack overnight, hoping they would be dry in the morning.  When I woke up, before I left, I threw them in a bag, and they were all damp, but at least they weren’t wet anymore.  I figured I’d dry them out at some point and maybe wash them again.  OK, all caught up.

I took the train to Copenhagen, and it took about a day.  The trains don’t go direct, so I went from Trondheim, Norway to Ostersund, Sweden.  This took about four hours, and I had a long layover in Ostersund.  The train to Ostersund wasn’t nearly as beautiful a route as I thought it would be.  I did get a good view of the Fjord, but it was a bit foggy since it was so early in the morning.

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Tags: Norway,Sea Monster,Sweden,Train
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I woke up feeling like I’d been hit by a truck; but so did everyone else.  Mead gives the worst hangover known to man, but it did give a fun night, so I guess that’s the price…  We hung out all day, and it was Sunday so most places weren’t open.  I still had no Norwegian Kronors, so we figured we’d get pizza, and I would pay with a credit card.  WRONG.  We ordered pizzas, and went to pick them up.  When we got there I gave the lady my credit card, and she tried to swipe it, but it would not go through.  I knew I was way under my credit limit, because I’d checked earlier that morning.  I figured maybe her machine was broken, or my card had become demagnetized.  But John paid, and I told him I’d get him back later.  On the way home, we stopped at a market that was open on Sundays (VERY few are, so it was packed).  This is where I learned about Norway’s obsession with Diet Pepsi Max.  It is very expensive there, and I told them how I can get 2 liters for a dollar some places in the USA, and instantly I think the girls were ready to move.  We got a bunch of 2 liter bottles, and I was going to pay for them to make up for not buying any pizza.  I tried to pay for them at the cash register, but my card wouldn’t work AGAIN.  The guy behind the register told me I need to use a BankAxept card, and that since my card didn’t have the logo on it, it would not work.  This is why my card didn’t work at the pizza place also.  No other country seems to use the BankAxept network, and even in Norway, it is the fail over network if the payment can not be processed immediately via the PIN system.  John had to pay for the sodas also, and I don’t think he was very happy about that.  I offered to go to an ATM, but there weren’t any near by.

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Tags: Credit Card,GoDaddy,Norway,Trondheim
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I woke up and had a bit of a hangover.  I’m glad I didn’t drink more Mead.   I played Bejeweled on my cell phone for a bit until John woke up.  He asked me what I wanted to do, I said I didn’t know, then he suggested we go to the shooting range at the Academy.  I figured since I was hungover, that shooting was probably the best idea possible, and went.  He grew up near the academy, so we stopped by his house on the way.  I said hello to his father and brother, and it was nice to see them.  We talked for a bit and then headed to the Academy range.  We had to be let into the Academy and the range, because we didn’t have John’s RFID card, but it wasn’t a hastle.  John gave me a crash course on pistol shooting (P45 9mm), and I was a much better shot than either of us thought I would be.  I guess that must be my New Haven upbringing .

After shooting for a bit, we headed out to the supermarket to get some pizzas.  John invited a bunch of friends over for a party that night, and of course we were running late.  We got a bunch of personal pizzas to cook, and picked up some of the local beer.  John also insisted that I try the Brown Cheese, so we got a roll of that.  Buying beer in a supermarket is cheaper than a bar, obviously, however it was still about 6.5 Euro per beer!  We arrived at his house late, and I was blamed; I always blamed him for making me late in high school.  We cooked up the pizzas, and they were actually really good, much better than the do-it-yourself pizzas around here.  (Although it still couldn’t compare to a New Haven apizza.)  I had some brown cheese after pizza, it is put on a cracker with butter and a slice of cheese; it is amazing.  John and I discussed how I need to bring this to America, and send back Beef Jerky; perhaps we will have to set up this trade route (Torkil agreed).

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Tags: Drinking,Norway,Shooting,Trondheim
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I met John at the Trondheim train station.  He had been skiing in the morning and was a few minutes late due to traffic.  He drives an American car, and rides a Harley.  I guess going to school in the USA had a bit of an effect on him.  None of those sport bikes and fuel efficient eurocars!  We drove around Trondheim for a bit and went to a coffee shop.  This is where he told me how expensive Norway was.  He wasn’t lying!  It is ridiculous how expensive everything is!  We grabbed a coffee and caught up on the last 4 or 5 years and talked about what there is to do in Trondheim.

Afterwards, we headed to his place and he showed me where his mother works.  On the way back, we stopped at a supermarket since I needed money, and we obviously needed beer.  He recommended a local beer that apparently is only liked by a select few.  (I happen to be one of them)  He also picked up some Snoos and I paid with my credit card.  We got back and had a few beers and I saw Torkil again.  I hadn’t seen Torkil since he came to visit John for a week my senior year in high school, but he looks the same and was easy to recognize! 

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Tags: Bar,Drinking,Norway,Trondheim
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So my train passed through Hell (Hell, Norway), and it was frozen over:

Hell Train Station

One thing that upset me after the fact, was that I forgot to get a few coworkers 1 way tickets to hell.  I think John would have appreciated that

Otherwise, the train was really nice.  It was a beautiful sight passing through the snow covered mountains and farmland.  The Fjords are absolutely beautiful, I really want to see them in the summer!

Tags: Hell,Norway
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